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Coo Just curious, I am building a knock sensor/ amplifier and want to wire it into the cd input on the radio so I can listen over the radio for knock while I tune Timing. I didn't know if it was something more advanced than that.
It's pretty simple and cheap. take one of these Gunson 77109 Automotive Electronic Stethoscope | eBay open it up and cut off the sensor. Then use shielded microphone wire to a knock sensor. And use a wire from the outlet into the radio. That's actually the hard part since I don't have an aux in. There's a aux mod here on the club I'm going to try. and I'll put the unit under my shifter so I can pop up the plastic and turn it on/off and adjust the volume. If I get really adverenturious I'll wire it into power from the *** lighter.
You're right. I apologize, its my first turbo of any kind. I read the word recirculated in the invoice, and got it mixed up. I have edited the caption, thank you
Thanks, Gregs! I am very pleased with the tubes as well. I should have powder coated the rotary canister as well, it would have looked good in that same color. I also like the black couplers.
Thanks, team. I only try to weigh in when I know what I'm talking about. Obviously I was in over my head with E85. You know what that say: an opinion on the Internet is worth what you pay for it.
The car is up and running. However, it has an interesting new symptom. One in ten times, it is slower to start than normal. It has always been like this, since I bought it. I did the FlexInnovations engine ground kit, and that improved it, but it still pops up every now and then.
The new wrinkle is, according to Scott, a sweet smell in the exhaust during that slow start. In addition, he is concerned that the thermostat is stuck open. He said the radiator end tanks were warmer than they should be, considering the car had not been idling long (this was done with the car still on the lift).
I have never gotten a CEL in the car, nor have I noticed strange behavior with the (admittedly useless) temperature gauge. Scott is doing a coolant pressure test. I am petrified that there is a blown coolant seal. The car was babied the first nine years of its life before becoming my daily driver. It has, however, spent its entire life in Texas. It has never belched white smoke, nor did I notice the smell on start up.
I welcome any advice from the forum. I dont really want to fork over for a rebuild.
If the thermostat was stuck open the car would take longer to warm up and a grounding kit is worthless and not a factor here. And smelling the exhaust? Proper diagnosis is key, If it's a random starting issue then why he is pressure testing the cooling system without knowing if it is actually overheating? But I trust him as about as far as I can throw him so who knows what is really up.
If the thermostat was stuck open the car would take longer to warm up and a grounding kit is worthless and not a factor here. And smelling the exhaust? Proper diagnosis is key, If it's a random starting issue then why he is pressure testing the cooling system without knowing if it is actually overheating? But I trust him as about as far as I can throw him so who knows what is really up.
Get ready man, you are about to go on a ride.
Gotta use your brain maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.
He said that the radiator end tanks were warmer than they should be, since the car had not been idling long. If the thermostat was functioning properly (closed during warmup) the radiator end tanks stay relatively cool until the thermostat begins to open.
Thank you, Arca. I did not explain it well. I'll explain it all again, but first:
@Team: I may not know a lot, but I can repeat what I hear on the phone.
@9k: If you have a problem with Scott, keep it to yourself. Your opinions about him are well known, and frequently voiced. However, this is not the Scott thread, this is my build thread. Please keep your comments on topic. If you have advice about a damaged coolant seal (which I would welcome, since you lost a motor to this issue!), then go right ahead.
The car has had an INTERMITTENT long start since I bought it. It will always fire up, but sometimes it takes a lot longer than others. Never more than five seconds. But most times, it is instant. I've had the dealer look at it, Ari Yaloon looked at it, and finally it happened to Scott. While diagnosing that issue, Scott noticed two things:
1. Hot radiator end tanks soon after start up, leading him to think the thermostat is stuck closed. Had the thermostat been operating correctly, these tanks would not be warm, because radiator water should not be mixing with engine water.
2. He walked to the back of the car and noticed sweet smelling exhaust.
If I implied earlier that the long start and the coolant smell were related, that was my poor phrasing because I typed this late at night at work. It was not a "confused noob middleman".
I have seen a lot of threads here saying a "sweet smelling exhaust" can indicate that you're burning coolant. The grounding kit is probably worthless, but for 35 bucks, I took a chance. It doesn't do any harm. He is pressure testing it. If there is anything else to look for about a damaged water seal, I would love to hear it.
Last edited by BigBadChris; Aug 21, 2015 at 07:48 AM.
Is it possible that a catalytic converter would have hidden the sweet smell? We removed the cat and installed a midpipe last week. Maybe I didnt notice it for so long because of the cat changing the exhaust?
He said that the radiator end tanks were warmer than they should be, since the car had not been idling long. If the thermostat was functioning properly (closed during warmup) the radiator end tanks stay relatively cool until the thermostat begins to open.
You should actually ask a friend and maybe test that theory, because I did this morning and the end tanks on mine were very warm to the touch after 30 seconds.
Is it possible that a catalytic converter would have hidden the sweet smell? We removed the cat and installed a midpipe last week. Maybe I didnt notice it for so long because of the cat changing the exhaust?
No, unless he has an issue with certain smells. Some people think skunk spray smells like lemons. Some people may think uncatted rotary smells sweet and tangy...
Either way using your nose to determine failures is not the way to do things.
If the pressure test passes you should be good, again assuming he does it correctly by the book. The pressure needs to hold X amount of Psi for X amount of time with X amount of pressure drop.
I personally haven't sifted through this entire thread, but if its a fairly new build within 1000 miles, that engine will be producing all kinds of weird smells for quite some time.
Thank you, Arca. I did not explain it well. I'll explain it all again, but first:
@Team: I may not know a lot, but I can repeat what I hear on the phone.
@9k: If you have a problem with Scott, keep it to yourself. Your opinions about him are well known, and frequently voiced. However, this is not the Scott thread, this is my build thread. Please keep your comments on topic. If you have advice about a damaged coolant seal (which I would welcome, since you lost a motor to this issue!), then go right ahead.
The car has had an INTERMITTENT long start since I bought it. It will always fire up, but sometimes it takes a lot longer than others. Never more than five seconds. But most times, it is instant. I've had the dealer look at it, Ari Yaloon looked at it, and finally it happened to Scott. While diagnosing that issue, Scott noticed two things:
1. Hot radiator end tanks soon after start up, leading him to think the thermostat is stuck closed. Had the thermostat been operating correctly, these tanks would not be warm, because radiator water should not be mixing with engine water.
2. He walked to the back of the car and noticed sweet smelling exhaust.
If I implied earlier that the long start and the coolant smell were related, that was my poor phrasing because I typed this late at night at work. It was not a "confused noob middleman".
I have seen a lot of threads here saying a "sweet smelling exhaust" can indicate that you're burning coolant. The grounding kit is probably worthless, but for 35 bucks, I took a chance. It doesn't do any harm. He is pressure testing it. If there is anything else to look for about a damaged water seal, I would love to hear it.
Random starting issues could be many many things. And doing a build like this without knowing what condition your engine is in is asking for trouble. So does he think the thermostat is stuck open or stuck closed? You have stated both so Team is probably right. Again a "sweet smelling" exhaust is not indicative of anything and no way to diagnose a problem. I have seen a couple of coolant seal failed RX-8's and none smoked (including mine), none smelled sweet, and none of them (mine showed no coolant loss when I checked it, just slight traces in the oil analysis) were burning coolant at a very fast rate. I am just trying to help you look at things realistically. As for Scott, what I say are nothing other than my personal opinions so if you don't like it then add me to your block list and you will never have to read another one of my posts as long as you are here.
Up until yesterday, I was extremely confident in the engine. I have had two compression tests done, by two different shops here in Dallas. Both said it was in good shape. Considering it is intermittent, and it still starts, I was told that it wasnt worth worrying about. It consumes oil at a normal rate, it makes plenty of power. It has only needed regular maintenance, and the mods that I chose to perform.
You're right, i had said stuck closed, and I have meant stuck open, as in coolant mixing between radiator and engine block.
What is good shape? And a the starting issue would have to be diagnosed and since it is intermittent then that might be tough to diagnose. Aside from that, I am not even sure you really even have an issue but I suspect this is building up into something else all together, we shall see. Getting a turbo kit installed is the easy part, it's the stuff that happens after that is the most important.
Up until yesterday, I was extremely confident in the engine. I have had two compression tests done, by two different shops here in Dallas. Both said it was in good shape. Considering it is intermittent, and it still starts, I was told that it wasnt worth worrying about. It consumes oil at a normal rate, it makes plenty of power. It has only needed regular maintenance, and the mods that I chose to perform.
You're right, i had said stuck closed, and I have meant stuck open, as in coolant mixing between radiator and engine block.
I assume you have the S2 starter and a new battery?
Proper diagnosis is key, If it's a random starting issue then why he is pressure testing the cooling system without knowing if it is actually overheating? But I trust him as about as far as I can throw him so who knows what is really up. 
